“A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.” Richard Bach
Have you noticed the disappearing bloggers phenomenon?
They start off all eager, posting and commenting and following. Then (the writers especially) start complaining about how much time blogging takes. There’s often a post to strategize how to best utilize their time. For some, school gets in the way. Then there are those who take off for a couple of months or the summer or to work on a WIP.
And never come back.
Read more…http://www.blogher.com/break-or-break
thanks for posting this. I often wonder where folk go. I’ve blogged for over 8 years now and haven’t run out of things to write. I write when I want to and don’t actively seek an audience. Maybe that’s the problem. Blogging and writing are a way of life not a get-rich-quick scheme so people lose interest. Apart from one of mine who died….
I notice there are those that create a blog just to moan and groan, and then when life improves they disappear, sometimes only to reappear when life goes bad again.
When the economy tanked here in the States, I noticed a number of new blogs appeared on WordPress. I think some of the bloggers thought they could turn their blogs into a money-generating enterprise, though I noticed they tended to have more tags than content. They also tended to stop posting after a year, if that. They never said why—I’m guessing they finally found a paying job or went back to school. But as dderbydave said, blogging and writing aren’t exactly activities that will make you rich, at least not quickly. I’m sure those blog-for-profit types were sorely disappointed after a few months.
My blog is still a family newsletter. If it’s garnered an audience outside of my children and friends in “real life” (what is that anyway?), I’m delighted, but I won’t try to draw more people by writing to what I think are their tastes. You have to love doing this in order to continue writing day after day. (Or in my case, week after long period of not writing, ha.) But I hope you’ll continue to blog, FD. I’m so glad I discovered your blog after the great Vox diaspora.
Thank you for your kindness.
I agree all the way with you, there are those few individuals who somehow hit the right chord at the right moment and get fame and fortune. But I also notice that then their blogs just become sites to push product and it nothing but dates for their next book signing. The essence of what made them interesting disappears.
I think a lot of the reason the vox folks, or at least a pretty high proportion of us, seem to carry on so long, is that ost of us were blogging for reasons of our own.
And, perhaps, a basic level of compatible curmudgeonry.
And, yes, FD is one of the high points of my daily read.
(Hi! FD!)
I don’t always manage to post, and sometimes I have dry spells, but I’m still around.
LOL! Well, I’m not innocent of this. School often got in the way, and now that I’m in real life, I’m trying to keep up with that. But I always come back.
Eventually. XD
Yes, but you explain things are hetic. We understand everyone has busy times.
I was one of those and still don’t feel I have my blogging groove back. I feel like I need photos to make my posts more interesting but can’t work out how to get them from my ‘smart phone’ onto wordpress.
I just write for me. I don’t worry about being interesting, and sometimes the posts I put the most into just get by a resounding silence. Others are throw away lines and they garner heaps of comments. Just make yourself happy, that is the main reason for being!
Sometimes, paradoxically, the posts that most move or intrigue me I find myself with nothing to say that satisfies me.
I guess I should at least contribute a “yes” or “this” just to let you know I’m out here.
Because it is a bit antisocial to just drift about reading, but not responding.
And, oddly, it is sometimes the posts that most move me that I find most difficult to form a response to.
And I’ve always sensed that you are not just posting to get some eyeballs.
But I will try to be better about expressing reaction when it is a hard write.
Yep, I’ve noticed. I’ve also noticed when someone doesn’t post for awhile they suddenly post a “WP is dead” post about how no one is posting. Which I take as an insult since I don’t consider myself “no one.”
I used to worry about comments and ‘followers’ and such … and I think there are people who take that stuff way too seriously and drop out when they are disappointed that they don’t have hundreds of people hanging on their every word. I got over that and realized that I blog for my own personal enjoyment … and if no one else but the few that do wants to read it, fine.
I agree with you. I also remember one blogger who would castigate us for not remembering her birthday, as if we owed her something. She was always making great farewell speeches, and yet she never realised that it was her, and her obvious self-righteous anger that was the barrier to others.
Oh dear, I think I know who you’re talking about. Was she on Vox? I think she was blocked by a number of people because she made so many snarky comments on other blogs. She may have gone silent, but in her case, that’s a good thing.
Yes she was on Vox at one time.
well said GOM. I’d blog with no hits but I do get a buzz out of virtual friends expressing an opinion about my situations, even when they politely disagree with my ramblings!
It is nice to have that “human connection” – sometimes almost immediately, which is stunning when we are on opposite sides of the world!
I’m amused every week when I get my blog statistics report on my old Vox account.
I have zero readers!
It means everything else is doing so very well.
I use my blog almost as a journal. I do find my more popular posts are ones on a topic which is not my life, but, I never expected it to make cash or anything, its just a good place to write!
With you sister! I can never pick which topic is going to interest others, I think I just need to please me. I am going at putting myself first!
Oh yes…..it leaves me often just wondering. I also knew a blogger who died – as did the blog…. but otherwise, I can understand how life gets in the way, or you lose your blogging mojo for a fair while. Some people like to leave people wondering I guess…..
It is awful when someone dies and their blog remains as a silent memorial. I have told my children they have to post a farewell message if anything ever happens to me, and then after a time take my blog down. I will create a new one when I recycle!
that’s probably one of the few things that stops me blogging – life getting in the way. And on the rare occasion that there is simply nothing to talk about. (doesn’t happen much!) lol
That is sometimes when I post just photos, but I have learnt that it is okay to be quiet sometimes. It gives everyone a rest!
It’s a wise blogger who says nothing when s/he has nothing to say.
But then some of us need to have the last word…
erm….
I guess that’s just a thing of virtual “life”. Things come – things go. But I have to say I prefer the occasional blogger, the one that is there then goes in hiding because real life is busy and come back – blogger (or the vanishing blogger for that matter) over those who make huge leaving declarations. Mostly with no reasons, probably to sound important and mystical – to then only reappear dramatically to their audience.
Yes, sometimes it does seem that they want people to go “oh no, don’t go!” so they can make themselves feel wanted.
I am a somewhat erratic blogger, but I can’t stay silent for very long. I started blogging so friends and family could follow us when husband and I went on a trip, then stopped until another trip happened, after which my daughter nagged until I started blogging on a more regular basis. I think truly I do it for myself, although followers and comments are nice. I do like a little bit of recognition. But what it really does is give me the impetus to take some pictures and to spread the words that come out of my head around. Because I like to. Because I can.
Because I like to. Because I can.
Exactly. I just like to communicate some of the mess in my head – poor unsuspecting readers be warned!
And we delight in your warnings.
I have never been a rapid blogger, and the oddest things will keep me from writing: the moths in my closet; it is too DAMN HOT; PMS…the collection gets increasingly eclectic.
But I march on, because my blog is the only place where I can improve upon my writing…it’s my own personal creative writing room, where the doors are always open and the windows always raised. I love for people to look in, but when it gets slow like this I just assume that life has got in the way and wait for them to (or hope they) come back. If not, well, disappointing, but it will never keep me from writing and reading (and learning from) other blogs as well. Love it too much.